AT or MT?

[theblackbox]

i saw the title and was going to post that all terrains are usually better then mud terrains for two reasons, road noise and how quick MT's wear.

then i read that it was about trannys.

i have 4 manuals right now, and wouldn't mind having an automatic.

both can be dependable if well taken care of. i think you should start on a manual because you learn to be a better driver if you start that way, plus people look funny trying to learn a stick at 30.

 

[obamanation]

You missed the point. Buying an older car will probably involve getting it inspected which costs money, getting a title, registration, and all the other things. It's very possible that a 10 year old car will need something like tires, belts, fluid changes or other odds and ends. For a 17 year old kid that adds up to quite a bit of money and there's no point in doing it all twice.

And no, a manual transmission won't be twice as reliable as an automatic. I have two 13 year old cars in my driveway. You want to know what has NEVER given me any problems? The automatic transmissions. A good automatic transmission is just fine and will go well over 200k without any problems at all.

Well we don't really know what the OP's financial situation is but if he's got $10K+ to throw away on a car, then the OP is more than capable of being in the position to drive and maintain an older car. You basically can always save money going with a pile of shit and fixing it up than going for a new car. I know I know you're suggesting getting a new but used car but those are still pretty expensive. Newer cars are much more expensive to insure and register than older used so the point about title and registration is moot as well.

Young people are best served with older stuff regardless of how well they take care of their things because if and when bad things do happen, it won't be as large of a financial loss.

being 17 years old + $10K+car + registration + insurance=raped 6 ways from sunday.

A $500-$4000 car with $3000 in repairs (which is a LOT and you'd be stupid to have chosen a car with that many problems) is still cheaper than a newer $10K car because of insurance and registration fees alone..

An automatic also leaves your shifting hand free, which is especially convenient when dating... ZV

Yeah but then you wouldn't have people like "5 Speed girl"....

 

[Bignate603]

Well we don't really know what the OP's financial situation is but if he's got $10K+ to throw away on a car, then the OP is more than capable of being in the position to drive and maintain an older car. You basically can always save money going with a pile of shit and fixing it up than going for a new car. I know I know you're suggesting getting a new but used car but those are still pretty expensive. Newer cars are much more expensive to insure and register than older used so the point about title and registration is moot as well.

Young people are best served with older stuff regardless of how well they take care of their things because if and when bad things do happen, it won't be as large of a financial loss.

being 17 years old + $10K+car + registration + insurance=raped 6 ways from sunday.

A $500-$4000 car with $3000 in repairs (which is a LOT and you'd be stupid to have chosen a car with that many problems) is still cheaper than a newer $10K car because of insurance and registration fees alone..


Yeah but then you wouldn't have people like "5 Speed girl"....

I never suggested that he buy a new car. I said that it wasn't smart to think that he should buy a car with the assumption that he could just sell it and replace it if he didn't like the transmission. That was your suggestion, and I really disagree with that. Buying a used car, paying to get it legal to drive, and fixing anything that it might need all adds up so he should only do it once. Suggesting that he buy a car then turn around and sell it a few months later if he doesn't like it is telling him to throw his money away. I'm sure that the OP doesn't want to throw away his money (or his time) on a car he might like. He should be pretty darn sure what he wants before he buys or its likely he is throwing his money away.

 

[obamanation]

I never suggested that he buy a new car. I said that it wasn't smart to think that he should buy a car with the assumption that he could just sell it and replace it if he didn't like the transmission. That was your suggestion, and I really disagree with that. Buying a used car, paying to get it legal to drive, and fixing anything that it might need all adds up so he should only do it once. Suggesting that he buy a car then turn around and sell it a few months later if he doesn't like it is telling him to throw his money away. I'm sure that the OP doesn't want to throw away his money (or his time) on a car he might like. He should be pretty darn sure what he wants before he buys or its likely he is throwing his money away.

Yeah but that's true with any car, automatic or manual, Domestic or Import, SUV or supermini... So what is the OP suppose to do then?

 

[Raduque]

If you're doing a lot of in-town driving, the constant shifting from stop/go can get old fast. Something to think about.

Oh yes, and stop and go traffic is an absolute BITCH.

 

[guy93]

Wow this thread has really heated up. I just wanted to know if taking the time out to learn manual after I get my license in 2 months is worth it. As of now I am learning in an automatic(makes sense to learn in an AT).

 

[Bignate603]

Yeah but that's true with any car, automatic or manual, Domestic or Import, SUV or supermini... So what is the OP suppose to do then?

He should figure out what kind of car he wants, buy it, and plan to live with his decision for a few years just like any reasonable person should do. Your suggestion was to buy a car with a manual transmission and then sell it after a short period of time if he didn't like it. That's completely ridiculous. Spending thousands on something you might like is a great way to throw away money.

 

[Viperoni]

Automatic.

If you ever plan on eating, or answering the phone, or looking at a map, or anything in your car.... you can't do it with one hand on the wheel and one hand on the shifter.

Sure you can.


To answer the OP's question, it sounds like you'll be better off with an AT.

 

[Rifter]

Personally i would take the test and learn on an auto, this leaves you more time to focus on the Rd and doing eveything else right and then you can learn a stick later.

Do however learn to drive a stick as it is a skill worth having, i have worked a few jobs driving company cars that were sticks and i would not have got the job if i couldnt drive it. Also rented a few moving trucks that were stick so would have been SOL if i hadnt been able to drive one.

I suggest learning both before purchasing a car and going with the one you prefer since you will need to drive it everyday.

If you know someone with a stick try it out and see if you like it. If you dont know anyone with a stick them PM me, my car is a stick and i live 20 min from you(langley area) so you can give it a shot on my car and see if you like it.

 

[Kirby]

This is just from my own personal experience, but from what I've seen, people who drive at MT tend to better drivers, especially at the learning phase. You have to think more about what you're doing and just tend to pay attention more instead of fiddling with food, radio, and cell phone. After you've got it done, it's negligible.

But this is just from my experience with some of the people I know, so take it with a grain of salt.

 

[freegeeks]

I never understood the argument about stop and go traffic and a MT. I live in Belgium and 98% of cars here are MT. Traffic is sometimes just as horrendous here as in any other country / big city but I never heard someone saying, I'm getting myself an AT because of traffic jams....

 

[RichieZ]

ok so I drive a proper sports car (Porsche Boxster) w/ a MT and also have had a chance to track my car. I like the connection with the car and its just a more enjoyable/engaging experience b/c my car is entertainment.

Now that being said I've driven a Cayman S with PDK and had a chance to auto-x in it, its better than I will ever be.

 

[rchiu]

hehe I see all these MT driver still have their superiority complex going. I myself started with MT, but have been driving AT the last 10 years. So I get 5.6s in my 335i from 0 to 60 instead of 5.4s, am I gonna lose any sleep over it? heck no.

Plus MT doesn't always beat AT given the same car, that's only true if you have a good MT drivers who knows exactly when to shift and can do it quickly. Those 4.8s MT 335i 0~60 time are achieved by highly skilled drivers and I'd bet 95% of MT drivers won't beat my AT with their bad timing and slow footwork.

Finally, if I really want to "drive" it and hear the engine, I can always switch to the manual mode on my steptronic.

 

[sdifox]

I never understood the argument about stop and go traffic and a MT. I live in Belgium and 98% of cars here are MT. Traffic is sometimes just as horrendous here as in any other country / big city but I never heard someone saying, I'm getting myself an AT because of traffic jams....

North Americans are lazy. And we probably drive a lot more than people in Belgium. Traffic is never "sometimes horrendous" in Toronto. It's ALWAYS horrendous.

 

[StageLeft]

The truth is, guy93, the novelty of driving a stick wears off pretty quickly.

For some. I still enjoy it 100k later on my maxima

Gas savings are basically a wash. These days good autos do better. Manuals are dying out, there is no doubt about it, so it's less of a needed skill. I'd still learn anyway because a lot of cars are still stick, especially cheaper ones in your range. if you're buying an older used car I'd try and buy stick because maintenance and repairs are likely to be lower.

I never understood the argument about stop and go traffic and a MT. I live in Belgium and 98% of cars here are MT. Traffic is sometimes just as horrendous here as in any other country / big city but I never heard someone saying, I'm getting myself an AT because of traffic jams....

Partly it's laziness, but if I said i could not live with my cellphone and you said well where I'm from nobody has any it's kind of similar. Stop and go in an automatic is definitely better. It can be done in a manual of course, though. Manual is fine in heavy traffic with lots of lights but I won't lie: when it's really, truly stop and go like an accident up ahead and the traffic is totally grid locked, especially if you're going up a hill and constantly clutching it is just a pain in the ass and there's no excusing it.

 

[ichy]

My parents insisted that I learn to drive on a manual transmission. I hated it for the first few weeks, then I got the hang of it and haven't looked back. Stickshifts aren't any more fuel efficient, but they are much more enjoyable to drive IMO. Unless you're in tons of stop and go traffic I don't think that automatics are any more convenient.

It's like the jokes about "in Soviet Russia." With a manual transmission you drive the car, but with automatic, car drives you!

 

[DivideBYZero]

North Americans are lazy. And we probably drive a lot more than people in Belgium. Traffic is never "sometimes horrendous" in Toronto. It's ALWAYS horrendous.

You must be joking, the traffic in and around Brussels is a bitch, and many people commute from Holland, France and other surrounding cities into Brussels, such as Ghent.

<--Working in Brussels for most of April. I live in Britain which has some of the worst traffic in the world. London, M25, M4 are my major headaches. I also drive an MT, and there is little difference in Stop/Go. As ZV said, it's really just a different foot jammed on a pedal, and anyway if your'e stopped for more than 20 seconds pop it into neutral, don't sit there He-man'ing the clutch. :awe:

 

[yh125d]

Automatic.

If you ever plan on eating, or answering the phone, or looking at a map, or anything in your car.... you can't do it with one hand on the wheel and one hand on the shifter.

You should meet my dad. He used to drive a 3 on the tree manual, while smoking, talking on the phone, talking to me in the passenger seat, and holding a drink

 

[Stefan Payne]

I plan on buying my getting my first car sometime this year(17 years old) , and I was wondering, is it worth to learn how to drive a Stick Shift car?

Not really.
I made my driver's licence on a stick shifted car but now I'm driving an automatic and I can't say that's better, I like the classical automatic transmission more than the manual version.

I know the differences between the two though. MT also has more fuel effiencieny and control, and of course not a lot of people can just borrow your car whenever, since not a lot of people know how to drive a Stick =)

Well you can't say that the fuel economy of an automatic is worse than a manual shifted.
It depends on the transmission, there are actual some 'automatics' on the market wich are a little better (at least on paper) than the manuals.
But they're more automated maunal transmissions rather than an automatic transmission with a torque converter.

People here will tell you to get a stick because they like to feel superior to others, even if it's as insignificant as how you drive a car.

Isn't that always the case?!

Over here it's said that real men only drive stick.
But well, I'd say, real man have the balls to have an own oppinion.

My first car was a stick and I haven't looked back. Its a plus that none of my friends can borrow my car. Once you get used to shifting, you wont even know that your doing it.

Can't say that with me, although I was driving sticks for years and sometimes have to drive a stick...

 

[NutBucket]

Meh, I learned on a stick and have driven one ever since. Been 10 years of lovely LA traffic. Still prefer it to auto though I must admit I am considering an auto for my "beater" but may still get a stick if the price is right.

 

[hanoverphist]

Really the only reason to learn to drive a manual is to have that skill in your pocket. It's something I'd like to be able to do so once I get comfortable with an automatic I intend to learn to drive stick. But for you I'd say stay with an automatic unless you really feel like you want to know how to drive stick. There really isn't any intrinsic reason to go with a MT.

im teaching my daughter how to drive, she (and my other 2 kids) will learn how to drive a stick first. i noticed when i was learning that it made me pay attention to the engine a lot more, and even when i drove an automatic i would still be "in tune" with what the car was doing. she is doing pretty well in my truck so far, despite a rocky start with a brick wall. her first car will be an automatic tho, after that it will be her choice what kind of transmission to get.

 

[sdifox]

You must be joking, the traffic in and around Brussels is a bitch, and many people commute from Holland, France and other surrounding cities into Brussels, such as Ghent.

<--Working in Brussels for most of April. I live in Britain which has some of the worst traffic in the world. London, M25, M4 are my major headaches. I also drive an MT, and there is little difference in Stop/Go. As ZV said, it's really just a different foot jammed on a pedal, and anyway if your'e stopped for more than 20 seconds pop it into neutral, don't sit there He-man'ing the clutch. :awe:

You missed the part where I call North Americans lazy, myself included.

 

[ajskydiver]

The car I wanted, an S2000, wasn't available as an auto so I bought one and had a local performance shop put in a used transmission from an older civic. Now I have the best of both worlds - a sports car with a 5 speed auto!

Who would want to mess with all that clutch, shifting BS! Just stomp on it and go.

Seriously, it never hurts to learn something new so try and learn on a friend's car! And my S is still a manual.

 

[guy93]

I certainly do have the opportunity to learn a shift, since one of my cousins has a stick shift car. Looks like I should stick with an AT since I have already been using it until after I pass my road test. Then after I could try getting into stick. I guess it is preference in the end since everybody has their own opinions on it, lots of them.

 

[StageLeft]

You should meet my dad. He used to drive a 3 on the tree manual, while smoking, talking on the phone, talking to me in the passenger seat, and holding a drink

I have eaten a salad while driving a manual in traffic, so I believe this. I am very good at shifting with my left arm, steering with knee, etc.

The car I wanted, an S2000, wasn't available as an auto so I bought one and had a local performance shop put in a used transmission from an older civic. Now I have the best of both worlds - a sports car with a 5 speed auto!

I presume that's a joke.